Geezer With Harp
5 posts
May 09, 2012
12:35 PM
|
Is there any reason why Hohner did not seal the top and bottom of the comb on the MB Deluxe? I'm sure there is one, I'm just not smart enough to figure it out.
|
BeardHarmonica
81 posts
May 09, 2012
12:39 PM
|
Last Edited by on May 09, 2012 12:41 PM
|
MP
2242 posts
May 09, 2012
12:46 PM
|
good question! they were partially unsealed from 2005 till a few months ago, i think.
new Marine Band Deluxes have completely sealed combs.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name for info-
|
BeardHarmonica
82 posts
May 09, 2012
12:48 PM
|
It's about time they upgrade their line. They seal the new marine band too.
|
Geezer With Harp
6 posts
May 09, 2012
1:17 PM
|
I have a couple of Crossovers and one MB Deluxe. They share a common reedplate and tuning. I do my own (very minor) tweaks to the reeds. I like the way that both harps play, but the wooden comb just feels, IMO, a little more natural than the bamboo. I just figured that when you sealed a comb the whole thing got sealed. A diligent search of the internet has not yielded any answers.
|
FreeWilly
208 posts
May 09, 2012
1:22 PM
|
The tuning should be different though. MBD is closer to just intonation, Crossover closer to EQ.
The reason for the partial seal was probably to save costs and to not have the 'traditionalists' shy away because the 'wood-sound' was completely ruined. Just a guess, that seems to be backed by Harpninja's earlier post.
|
Geezer With Harp
7 posts
May 09, 2012
1:34 PM
|
Thanks, FreeWilly. Now that you mention it, the tone on the Deluxe does seem to "darken" just a shade after 30 or 40 minutes of playing. It makes sense to me. In respone to HarpNinja's earlier post, I got my Deluxe about three weeks ago and, unless I got some old stock, the comb was not completely sealed.
|
FreeWilly
209 posts
May 09, 2012
1:48 PM
|
You got old stock.
The 2005 model has a partially sealed comb, and says no.2005. It comes in a black hard case with a red inlay. The newer model (2010??) is fully sealed, has a new cover design (Matthias Hohner is portrayed on the top-cover) and comes in a zippered pouch. There have been hybrids (they were mentioned, I haven't seen them) with new pouches and old harps.
Seems like you got the old thing. I like the comb of the new ones, but the covers on the old. The new covers have larger vents and are a bit more welded. Also the 3 plate-screws on the newer ones are silver-colored and the 'hohner' on the back is white. Very ugly esthetic choices if you ask me.
Look on the bright side. In 2060, you're 2005 might be worth some serious cash ;)
|
MP
2243 posts
May 09, 2012
1:52 PM
|
"The reason for the partial seal was probably to save costs and to not have the 'traditionalists' shy away because the 'wood-sound' was completely ruined."
i'll go with that. what is interesting is that the original 2005s were billed as being totally sealed.
i forgot the exact wording in the adds, but i was under the impression that the entire comb was sealed.
every time Hohner has tried an upgrade on the MB 1896 it was met with a lot of opposition from 1896 players.
the first change i am aware of was the plastic combed SP/20. it's cover plate clearly states that it is a Marine Band. luckily, this model was never discontinued.
the second attempt at upgrading was an MS version. i tried to buy a low F in this model but by the time i ordered the harp it was discontinued. i was sent a normal 1896 with no explanation from the 'jobber'. from what i've heard of this MS harp,i am grateful i wound up with what i did.
MS harps and handmade harps(1896 MBD etc.) are very different animals.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name for info-
|
barbequebob
1896 posts
May 10, 2012
10:34 AM
|
The reason that the original version of the MBD was introudced back in 2005 was to compete with the Hering 1923 Vintage Harp, which was the first stock 10 hole diatonic that had ANY sealing on the comb at all, and it was only sealed along the outer edges, and when Hohner introduced the MBD, they did the exact same thing. For decades Hohner resisted doing ANY sealing at all because they said it would basically add significantly to the production line costs and when they introduced the wood comb on the MS series (the Blues Harp and the MS MB, which was only issued in Europe), they used a wood called Doussie from the African tropics that resisted swelling (but DOES eventually swell, but n owhere near as quickly as unsealed pearwood or peachwood does). So, the fact of the matter is that until they introduced the MB Crossover, no Hohner diatonic EVER had a FULLY sealed wooden comb EVER.
Hohner finally did the full sealing job on the MB Crossover after Seydel introduced the 1847 Classic, which has a 100% FULLY sealed wood comb made of maple, making it the first production line diatonic to ever have a fully sealed comb, and since Hering and Seydel have proved Hohner wrong that it CAN be done on a production line basis, it is only in the last year that you now have fully sealed wood combs coming from Hohner on a production line basis, and that's ONLY on the very newest stock harps.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
lumpy wafflesquirt
570 posts
May 10, 2012
11:02 AM
|
how many woods are heavier than water?
----------
"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
|
bluemoose
738 posts
May 10, 2012
1:49 PM
|
african wood or european wood?
:)
MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids
FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
|
MP
2252 posts
May 10, 2012
3:47 PM
|
Hollywood? actor James Wood?
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name for info-
|
ElkRiverHarmonicas
962 posts
May 10, 2012
3:58 PM
|
The reason you would seal only the top - the bottom is irrelevant - that's where 90 percent of the moisture is absorbed. That's where 90 percent of the moisture that gets into the harp comes from. For normal playing, sealing the top retards swelling a great deal. It doesn't eliminate it by any means, but retards it a great deal.
Historically, Seydel has used beech, while Hohner used pear for combs.
Beech is a harder wood than pear and maple harder still. It takes less sealant and fewer coats to adequately seal these harder woods. Cure time is also shorter than it is for pear. I know that from my own wood sealing.
The last couple of years the Solist was made, it had a sealed beech comb, occasionally, you'd see one of those that would swell a little and I'd take it in as a warranty repair and add another coat or two to the comb. I've never heard any reports of that from the maple comb, but they are also cut with lasers or something that kind of burns the wood, I would imagine that would burnish the pores.
Pearwood really isn't the first wood you'd want to make a sealed comb out of, bamboo is a a much better choice for Hohner. Maple was a better choice for Seydel. It was, as Bob pointed out, the first fully-sealed factory wood comb that came out with the Solist Pro debut in 2006. I believe that comb drew a lot of inspiration from what Mark LaVoie was doing. Nobody ever told me that, that was my observation.
Also, the debut of that comb - this is another personal observation - seems to have affected the 1847 itself. The original 1847, I think from what I saw in a patent at the german patent office once, would have been like Session Steel (although probably not orange), but that comb was cool enough, they put it on what was to be Seydel's new flagship, the 1847, the new Bandmaster, so to speak.
----------
David
Elk River Harmonicas
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, drinking homemade beer." - David Payne
Last Edited by on May 10, 2012 4:05 PM
|
HarpNinja
2417 posts
May 10, 2012
4:18 PM
|
I would make sure to order the new sealed ones from Hohner or Rockin' Ron's specifically. People with low turnaround will have old style combs for years.
----------
Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
|
barbequebob
1898 posts
May 11, 2012
7:41 AM
|
Until at least a year or two down the line, if you want one of the newer fully sealed Hohners (and BTW, those fully sealed Hohners also have a tighter reed slot tolerance, which also makes harps, like a custom, play louder, but if you lacdk good breath control and play too hard, you risk blowing them out faster), your best bet is to avoid ANY brick and mortar retail stores and order online from places like Rockin Ron's, Coast To Coast Music, or in the UK, Harmonicas Direct because these places tend to have bigger stock turnover as well as better stock than brick and mortar stores will (plus they're WAY more knowledgeable about the instrument than every brick and mortar store in the world COMBINED), and unlike b&M stores, you can actually tell them that you want the newer stock wheras people in the B&M stores frankly don't know squat and absolutely don't give a crap about it one way or the other.
Mark Lavoie had laser cut fully sealed maple combs made only for the Hohner MS series, and those are the absolute FINEST MS combs I've ever seen and the titanium combs he also made for them are the only metal combs I've ever liked ever made, but I believe he's no longer making either one.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
